The State Department retails the PC myth in this article, “Thomas Jefferson’s Iftar,” July 29. Nor is this the first time this falsehood has gone around: the State announcement quotes Barack Obama saying last year: “Ramadan is a reminder that Islam has always been a part of America. The first Muslim ambassador to the United States, from Tunisia, was hosted by President Jefferson, who arranged a sunset dinner for his guest because it was Ramadan — making it the first known iftar at the White House, more than 200 years ago.”

Barack Obama, The New York Times, that Iftar Dinner, and the rewriting of historyby Hugh Fitzgerald

“The first Muslim ambassador to the United States, from Tunisia, was hosted by President Jefferson, who arranged a sunset dinner for his guest because it was Ramadan — making it the first known iftar at the White House, more than 200 years ago.” — Barack Obama, speaking on August 14, 2010, at the “Annual Iftar Dinner” at the White House

Really? Is that what happened? Was there a “first known iftar at the White House” given by none other than President Thomas Jefferson for the “first Muslim ambassador to the United States”? That’s what Barack Obama and his dutiful speechwriters told the Muslims in attendance at the 2010 “Annual Iftar Dinner,” knowing full well that the remarks would be published for all to see. Apparently Obama, and those who wrote this speech for him, and others who vetted it, find nothing wrong with attempting to convince Americans, as part of their policy of trying to win Muslim hearts and Muslim minds, that American history itself can be rewritten. A little insidious nunc pro tunc backdating, to rewrite American history. And that rewrite of American history has the goal of convincing Americans, in order to please Muslims, that the United States and Islam, that Americans and Muslims, go way back.

…

During the six solar months Mellimelli was here, the lunar month of Ramadan occurred. And as it happens, during that Ramadan observed by Mellimelli, but naturally unobserved, hardly noticed, by the Americans, President Jefferson invited Sidi Soliman Mellimelli for dinner at the White House. He probably during that six-month period had done it more than once. Mellimelli replied that he could not come at the appointed hour of three thirty in the afternoon (our ancestors rose much earlier, and ate much earlier, and went to bed much earlier, in the pre-Edison days of their existence). That time fell, for him, but not for Thomas Jefferson or anyone else in the United States of America, during the fasting period of the month of Ramadan. He replied that he could not come at the hour set, that is, at half-past three, but only after sundown.

Jefferson, a courteous man, simply moved the dinner forward by a few hours. He didn’t change the menu, he didn’t change anything else. And moving the dinner forward by a few hours hardly turns that dinner into a soi-disant “Iftar Dinner.” Barack Obama’s trying to do so, trying that is, to rewrite American history, with some nunc-pro-tunc backdating, in order to flatter or please his Muslim guests, is false. And, being false, is also disgusting. It is disgusting for an American President to misrepresent American history to Americans, including all the schoolchildren who are now being subject to all kinds of Islamic propaganda, cunningly woven into the newly-mandated textbooks, that so favorably misrepresent Islam, as here.

Now there is a kind of coda to this dismal tale, and it is provided by the New York Times, which likes to put on airs and think of itself as “the newspaper of record,” whatever that means. The Times carried a front-page story on August 14, 2010, written by one Sheryl Gay Stolberg, and no doubt gone over by many vigilant editors. This story contains a predictably glowing account of Barack Obama’s remarks at the “Annual Iftar Dinner.” Here is the paragraph that caught my eye:

In hosting the iftar, Mr. Obama was following a White House tradition that, while sporadic, dates to Thomas Jefferson, who held a sunset dinner for the first Muslim ambassador to the United States. President George W. Bush hosted iftars annually.

Question for Sheryl Gay Stolberg, and for her editors at The New York Times: You report that there is a “White Hosue tradition that, while sporadic, dates to Thomas Jefferson.” I claim that you are wrong. I claim that there is no White House Tradition at all about Iftar Dinners. I claim that Thomas Jefferson, in moving forward by a few hours a dinner that changed in no other respect, for Sidi Soliman Mellimelli, was not providing the first of the “Annual Iftar Dinners” that, the New York Times tells us, has since Jefferson’s non-existent “Iftar Dinner,” have been observed “sporadically.”

When, then, was the next in this long, but “sporadic” series of iftar dinners? I can find no record of any, for roughly the next two hundred years, until we come to the fall of the year 2001, that is, just after the deadliest attack on American civilians ever recorded, an attack carried out by a novemdectet of Muslims acting according to their understanding of the very same texts — Qur’an,Hadith, Sira — that all Muslims read, an understanding that many have demonstrated since that they share, not least in the spontaneous celebrations that were immediately held in Cairo, and Riyadh, and Jeddah, and in Ramallah, and Gaza, and Damascus, and Baghdad, and all over the place, where Muslims felt that they had won a victory over those accursed kuffar, those ingrates, those Infidels. And it was President George Bush who decided that, to win Muslim “trust” or to end Muslim “mistrust” — I forget which — so that we could, non-Muslim and Muslim, collaborate on defeating those “violent extremists” who had “hijacked a great religion,” started this sporadic ball unsporadically rolling. And he did it, by golly, he did. He hosted an Iftar Dinner with all the fixins. It was held just the month after the attacks prompted by Islamic texts and tenets and attitudes on the World Trade Center, on the Pentagon, on a plane’s doomed pilots and passengers over a field in Pennsylvania.

And thus it is, that ever since 2001, we have had iftar dinner after iftar dinner. But it was not Jefferson or any other of our cultivated and learned Presidents, who started this “tradition” that has been observed only “sporadically” — i.e., never — until George Bush came along, unless we are to count as an “iftar dinner” what was merely seen, by Jefferson, as a dinner given at a time convenient for his not-too-honored guest.

95 Responses

Is anyone really surprised that obama and crew are lying out their asses? They do not even have a clue of what the truth is. All the dumbocrats are lyers and some Republicians are the same way. Even the muslims are lying out their ass about what islam really is.

If I recall my history lessons, Franklin did meet with a muslim. They met in London in regards to the Barbary Coast Pirates. Franklin reported that he was told, in short, the muslims will continue attacking as that is their right as muslims.

This led to the clause being entered that Congress shall retain the right to raise and deploy a Navy. Also, Stephen Decatur (an outstanding Marine) led several assaults and barrages that resulted in about 150 years of silence from the region.

The saddest part of this scam is that schoolchildren will be taught this lie. History will be rewritten as PC pundits quote Hussein Obama over and over, until the truth lies buried under layers of manure.

Not my kids in government schools. way to easy to home school these days and have truly educated children. All parents have way more access to information then the better teacher did just a few years ago. time to stop making excuses – if you can parent them then you can teach them.

Easy to say, and I agree with the sentiment. But in today’s harsh economic reality, when it takes two professional salaries to keep them fed and a roof over their heads, trying to find someone to “teach” them the home school materials is a damn difficult proposition. Don’t be so quick to condemn people who have no choice but to take advantage of public schools for which they are anyway being taxed to pay.

private schools– are a choice for all now that we have VOUCHERS- and charter schools and local control of schoolboards–
no excuses to keep your kids in schools that indoctrinate and propagandize – who shill for ISLAM and promote leftist/commie ideals

My opinion ,sadly is that Geo. Bush was under a blackmail from islam and the Saudis. It boarders on treason. It also resulted in a muslim Calif taking possesion of America. BO is not guilty of treason as he is not an American but he is an enemy combatent and should be treated as a spy. He is doing a wonderful, efficent job of bringing America down and under the thumb of islam.
Michelles trips to Spain and Africa were likely courier missions to convey information and marching orders for BO. BO’s plan for healthcare is an undercover way of collecting the islamic JIZYA tax.
Islam has already removed $13 Trillion from the wests economy as a JIZYA which has resulted in todays market crash.
Look at the Golden skyscrapers being built in muslim countries that are to house the bright young arab men who will be controlling the world.

More lies from the lair in chief. He has no business doing anything with muslims or Islam. He should be totally doing job creation and finding ways to pay off this debt. He does more partying and vacationing and golfing than any other president. He thinks his job is club med for presidents. Impeach him now

Did I miss something?
Did Obama go through the same damned speech he made last year and the year before about Thomas Jefferson hosting the first Iftar dinner?

That is the biggest “stretching of the truth” and Obama is supposedly a professor of history! NOT! He may be a professor of Islamic and African colonial history (he hated the British colonialism in Africa and that is one major reason for returning Churchill’s bust). This man is a Muslim with a capital “M” and I don’t care what anyone says.

I enjoyed Hugh’s commentary about this back in August 2010 and plan on reading it and spreading it around again just as a reminder that people ought to know the truth about the lies perpetrated by “this government for themselves”…not “for the people”.

America has one of the most exciting histories of any country in the world.
It must be preserved at all costs.

I realize this current administration is rapidly trying to erase it. This must not be allowed.
I have the truth about American history in my house and I will hold onto it with my life. It is a treasure trove.

Americans…please spread the historical truth and do not let this POTUS destroy your geat country.

You have to read more of history my friend, I think you are in a deeeeeo hole by saying that american history is amazing! Look at the Russian one, it is one of the best. Read more you’ll be more credible

so… if an iftar was held at the white house in 1806, it inevitably became the first iftar held at the white house and jefferson inevitably became the first president to hold an iftar…this is true no matter if it was intended or not…in any case, most things in history happen by accident, not planning. not to mention, it was bill clinton, not george w bush, who started hosting the annual iftars through the state department, and u.s. secretary of state madeline albright hosted the first iftars and eids in the late 1990s…just fyi.

One could argue that paying Muslims was an American tradition. In th late 1700’s we paid millions to the barbary coast pirates. We also sent them a Marine, Stephen Decatur, who kicked their unwashed masses into silence for more than a century.
Msmignoresit.blogspot.com

Muhammad was a unrepentant thief, con artist and murderer, who paid Jewish scholars to verbally share with him the Torah, with which, Muhammad fictionalized Islam. He did this as part of a bigger scam to control his own people. Read the entire Koran and you will realize it is the biggest piece of drivel next to Dianetics and the Book of Mormon (sorry to the mormons out there but it is a complete fabrication by another noted con man).

Islam seems to be the only “religion” he pays homage to…he refused to recognize the National Day of Prayer or Easter, and no Christmas celebrations at the White House. He treats the Israeli’s as horribly as he can and all of our allies as enemies and enemies as friends. What more can he do to destroy America? Unfortunately, alot, given the chance.

First let me state, President Obama didn’t refuse to honor the national day of prayer. He did so the past two years, but the new Federal Law was invoked by a Federal Judge not allowing him to honor this day.

Please, when you make statements like this, check more than one source. If you woulld have researched this you would have found that he tried to do what he had done the past two years and what any other president has done for decades.

If the new Federal Law doesn’t allow the President to recognize the National Day of Prayer or Easter or Christmas, then how is it he can recognize a Muslim religious observance!!! Did the law prohibit just Christian or Jewish or Buddhist or Hindu or any other non-Islamic religious observance???

What are you talking about! he wants the usa to go down! Wake up and see whats happing around you! you Dummy! Can you see? hasnt been pointed out to you? can you read? And he didnt do one good DAM thing for this country! just name one think that he did that really matters or makes a different! nothing!

I am afraid you are right, He says all the right things but what he acually does is what counts and he doesn’t seem to even like christanity. I don’t know what we will do if he gets reelected again. I am really afraid for this country.

Sandy that is because he is a muslim. Once a muslim always a muslim. You can not leave the faith and keep your head…. He is lots of things he has denied to the people just to get where he is at and to have control and influence on things to change America from a judeo-Christian nation…. He has alot of liberal followers… so many deny there is a God. Vote Rick Perry and we will be back to recognizing God in our nation and be blessed again by God… We are in the mess we are in because he has , as our leader, excluded God and brought in Allah which is no God at all. Our Ten commandments .. You shall have not other Gods before me. That is exactly what Obama has done .. As a result we are in the biggest mess this nation has ever been in..No God no Peace…KNow God KNow Peace. We have not peace in this nation now. It is strife for every person because of no jobs, higher prices, and legistlation being forced in our lives or we get fines. If we cannot afford Ins how are we going to afford the fines he levies on the people???? We need to Get back to God so America will be blessed again…

You got it right, could have not said it better, hope all of what has taken place these last sad years in America is now a wake up call to get back to what needs to be done, we should always put this great nation first and formost before others and look after our own, no one else will, this is way since this country was formed that all wanted to come here and live the dream that America stood for

funny how over half the nation voted on this fool. He said we’d get change and change is what we got. We changed from Christian to Muslim; from democratic to socialist; from heroes to cowards- not to mentioned being short changed with not paying the bills! Thank you so much President Obama for the changes: we were living too long comfortably as God fearing Americans. WAKE UP AMERICA/WORLD!

The truth about GW is he used Saudi money for his drilling in Texas for oil.It’s no coincidence that Cheney was Ambassador to Saudi Arabia under Reagen.,protecting Americas’ oil “interests”. There is much video footage of HW and GW kowtowing to the Saudis.Estimates of how much the Bush’s benefited from their business relationship with the Saudis range as high as 1.5 billion. Do some real research and tell who is really sucking ass.

Steve~ If our gov’t didn’t playcate (however you spell it) the saudi’s and other oil countries. We would not be able to function as a nation. There are certain sacrifices that have to be made in order to function. However, I do NOT like Obama snubbing Isreal. Did you all know that Isreal is looking for oil in their soil. If they find it they will be a MAJOR ally with oil that will help the US but not if our current president continues to snub them.

(to keep it on topic) even if T,Jefferson did acknowledge the iftar, which I highly doubt, It would have been out of respect to another country. NOT because he himself was a muslim. Yes we are a free nation to worship whom ever we choose.

The two fields combined are the gas equivalent of about one third of the entire Saudi oil fields. This is a BIG game changer, and yet no one wants to talk about it; it is probably one of the reasons the PA is in such a rush to create a “nation” – once Israel starts exporting natural gas in two years time, the Arab’s stranglehold on Europe will be broken and their bargaining power will be seriously eroded.

I wonder how his personal finances are? and where all of his money goes If it goes to back extremists of Islam. After the debt crisis (which is NOT over, btw) I started thinking about his personal finances. I truly think that he is taking federal money somehow and using it to pay/buy things for our enemy/ies. I don’t know how this would come about but I really would like to see if I am correct in saying this. I do realize however that the national debt is not ALL his fault as we were in debt before but with him it is EXTREME debt.
(caps are for emphasis)
And If this is true I wonder if the American people knew if they still would have voted for him.

If you didn’t care what people think what the hell are you doing on here. Go somewhere , if you can find it, to find someone that might like your Muslim Pres. You better get there and kiss his but because he is going to be history in 2012 …. We have had enough of this destroyer and joker in chief. Kick him to the curb and lets start getting life back to normal for the tradidional american people and not the liberals…

NO idiots like you who support obama NEEDS a life. The rest of us are sick and tired of obama and his muslim scum buddies. MOST americans and non americans do not like islam or muslims. We don’t share their ugly cult!

I’m still trying to find something that Obama has done right since his inauguration. Seems to me that everyone that voted for him is thinking twice now. He needs to go back to Kenya, or wherever he’s from….

Obama had to have taken a crash course on American history, you don’t say there are 57 states by accident. He continues to make a mockery out of the presidency. When he gets voted out there is no telling what he will do to finish off the worst four years this country has ever seen.

If electing a Christian is what will motivate a bunch of dumb liberals to vote Republican (in place of this izlamic horror of a POTUS) then please proselytize any and all at your places of worship (though it is certainly “not allowed” and is risking confrontation.)

Nonetheless, such confrontation needs to happen every Sabbath until the foregoing result is achieved.
I might even become a churchgoer if that will help.

What’s the agenda here? To placate Muslims? To persuade Americans that Muslims have been a force for good in the world long before we were? This president and his administration is way out-of-line with this crap. If Obama is not a Muslim, he sure acts like he wishes he were. I’m still waiting for that herioic patriot who burns the golden backdrop Obama is using for his photo ops. Obviously the American flag is not good enough for this guy. Vote him out or drive him out, either one!

Fitzgerald writes that it was Ramadan for the envoy from Algiers, but “but not for Thomas Jefferson or anyone else in the United States of America,” implying the envoy was the only Muslim in the United States at the time.

This, of course, is not true. The slave trade drew heavily from regions of Africa with significant Muslim populations, like Senegambia. For stories of several Muslims in America, please check out the book by Allan D. Austin, African Muslims in Antebellum America.

Charles W. Joyner, in the book Down by the Riverside, mentions one antebellum plantation that served two sets of meals for slaves, one without pork for Muslims.